QLFC Season Six Entries
by emryses
Summary: A collection of one-shots written for Season Six of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition in the team of Puddlemere United as Beater One, as well as some other challenges. Enjoy and R&R! (R1's 'Forever' is for the lovely shay and R3's 'lost and found' is for the lovely em).
1. R1: Forever (for shay)

**Forever**

 **Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 1 for Puddlemere United.**

 **Beater 1 Task: Write a writing style you've never written before (diary!entry)**

 **Prompts: (word) homemade, (word) knife, & (quote) 'A fit, healthy body...that is the best fashion statement.' - Jess C. Scott**

 **For shaybae, because you definitely need a new angsty theblaise after recovering from my other one:3 Love you babe & know I'm always in your corner. (also I tried to do your version of theblaise, with blaise as the DE instead of theo :3)**

 **Thank you to Lin, Finn, and June for beta love!**

 **Word Count without A/N's: 2,370**

* * *

( _If I don't make it out safely — if I'm not able to protect my mother and come out of it all unscathed, I want you to have this memoir, love. I want you to make sure nobody ever reads this but you. I love you, forever. I'm sorry.)_

And tears were streaming down Theodore Nott's face as he opened the brown journal.)

* * *

 _08/31/1991._

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Hogwarts starts tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to it! It'll be nice to see Theo all the time. As far as I know, he'll be the only sane Slytherin dude in our year. I'm assuming Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle will be Slytherins, and they're honestly both as dumb as a brick. Then there is Draco. I think of him as a friend, but he is just...Draco. I can't really explain. Remember the one time he nearly read you? Merlin, I was ready to kill him._

 _You might be asking how I know I'll be a Slytherin. I know I will. If the hat actually attempts to sort me into another house, I'll set it on fire. Especially if it attempts to sort me into the house of bloody Gryffindorks. I'd rather die than be with idiots like them._

 _Anyway, point is, I can't wait to see Theo. I also can't wait to get out of this Manor. It's so empty. My mum's never home, probably out gallivanting with her latest lover. I suppose I'll miss being able to roam around the Manor at 3am with no regrets, but it's something I can let go of._

 _Until tomorrow, diary._

 _~BZ_

* * *

 _09/01/1991._

 _Dear Diary,_

 _So, my guesses from earlier were right. I was put into Slytherin — which was obvious from the start. The other Slytherin boys in my year are Theo, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. Three of which are annoying. Crabbe and Goyle follow Draco around like his bloody henchmen. It pisses me off. Both Theo and I agree on this one. Also, it's literally been less than a day and Draco legit never shuts up about Potter? Merlin. It's like he's in love with him or something. Honestly. He was so pissed off at dinner because apparently he tried to be friends with Potter, but Potter declined his friendship in order to be friends with Ronald Weasley._

 _Theo and I thought it was pretty funny. Not that we'd ever outright say that — I highly doubt that would end well._

 _One thing's for certain — Theo'll end up being the one that keeps me sane throughout my seven years at this place, just as he's always been the one who's kept me sane all my life._

 _Until tomorrow, diary._

 _~ BZ_

* * *

(Theo let out a sob at the last sentence, and he continued skimming through the diary.)

* * *

 _11/05/1991._

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Tomorrow is the first Quidditch match of the year. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Draco's so sure that Gryffindor's gonna lose. I said if he keeps talking about it, Theo and I would cheer for Gryffindor — something that horrified him. We actually would follow through with that, too._

 _Anyways — Harry Potter's apparently going to play in this match? Theo and I thought it was strange how a first year was allowed to play Quidditch. There's literally a rule saying first-years aren't even allowed broomsticks. It just seemed...rather fishy...to me. Of course, while it was fishy, it didn't really bother either of us that much. It irritated Draco a lot though. Then again, literally everything that included Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form irritates Draco._

 _Lowkey want Gryffindor to win, but don't tell anyone I said that. Especially Draco. And Theo._

 _Until tomorrow, diary._

 _~BZ_

* * *

(Tears ran through Theo's face as he flipped to entries in second year.)

* * *

 _12/25/1992._

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Mum wasn't home for Christmas. I should be hurt, but I'm not even surprised. I went to spend the Christmas at Theo's house instead, and frankly, I feel more at home there than I do in my cold, lonely Manor. Theo's mum makes the best homemade cookies and ice cream. Just one cookie can improve my day so much it isn't even funny. His mum is literally the nicest person I've ever met, and so is he. They're both # 1, in my mind. It's a shame his dad is how he is._

 _Mum did get me something though — my very own potions kit. I've always wanted one, and I'm really excited to start experimenting with it! It's the only reason I want to go home, really. Other than that, I'd stay in Theo's place over mine any day._

 _Until later, diary._

 _~BZ_

* * *

 _05/08/1993._

 _Dear Diary,_

 _The Heir of Slytherin. That was what everyone's been talking about — and of course, it's the Slytherins that are blamed. Well, for a while, people actually suspected Potter._ Potter. _The thought was laughable in my opinion. I don't know why people even considered it. A monster that wanted to attack all muggleborns. Hm. Clearly, the so called 'Heir of Slytherin' would petrify only muggleborns, and why would Potter even try to do that to Hermione Granger?_

 _I had a ...weird dream… last night. I dreamt of my mum. I dreamt of a man using her, hitting her, abusing her. I know how my mum works. She uses guys, dates them, takes their money for the sake of the family. So why would I have a dream like this? I thought this would be the other way around … either way, it actually scared the hell out of me. I couldn't really sleep much after that._

 _I had ended up staying up late that night, listening to Goyle's disgusting snoring and wondering if the dream was just that: a dream, or if there was any truth to it. I could always write her, asking if she was okay, but she'd more than likely cover up and say she's perfectly fine._

 _And that's something I definitely don't want. Theo had stirred around 4am, when I was up, and I told him about the dream. He listened. He's always been a great listener, unlike the other oafs I share a dorm with. Well, Crabbe and Goyle are good at listening, I guess. They certainly are good at listening when Draco decides to go into a rant about Harry Potter. I literally just walk away when that happens. Lowkey done with him, honestly._

 _Theo and I have a five galleon bet that they'd get together by graduation. He thinks that they won't at all._

 _Until later, diary._

 _~BZ_

* * *

(Theo let out a bitter chuckle. Blaise would've won that bet. If only he were here now. Fuck the battle. Fuck it all. He skims through the pages once more.)

* * *

 _08/31/1993._

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Shocked is the only word that I can say right now._

 _Theo and his mum have been on holiday in France all summer, and they just returned a week ago. I don't exactly know what_ happened _while they were in France, but …_

 _Theo went from pretty decent to hot as hell. And a fit, healthy body...that is the best fashion statement ;)_

 _Anyways. I haven't really thought much about...sexuality. Like, I've never actually liked anyone, besides that short little fling I had with Tracy Davis at the end of last year, let alone other guys. But I really thought about it when I saw Theo. He's always been such an amazing friend, but I thought...could he...be something more?_

 _(If you ever tell anyone I said sentimental stuff, I'll rip you into pieces. But I'm sure you knew that already.)_

 _Whatever I feel, I know for a fact I have to keep it hidden. If there's one thing I know, it's that Theo doesn't feel the same way. For one, he's probably straight. For two, he deserves much better. Far better than the likes of me. And most importantly, for three — I have no idea whether this is simply a man-crush._

 _You've probably had enough of my rambling._

 _Until later, diary._

 _~BZ_

* * *

 _02/21/1994._

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Remember how once in August I told you that I had a crush on Theo, and wasn't so sure if it was true or not? Well, now I'm one hundred percent sure it's true. I, Blaise Zabini, have a crush on Theodore Nott, and here's how it began:_

 _Daphne fucking Greengrass. She was one of my best friends, and still is, I guess — but ever since she started going out with Theo, I just couldn't stand her. At first, I was dead sure it was going to be a fling. I have flings. Flings are fun. But then they'd been together for more than three weeks. They're showing no sign of stopping. They looked so in love._

 _And there was nothing I could do about it. They're my best friends, and if they're happy together, then so be it._

 _Is there a part of me hoping they break up? Yes._

 _Am I going to act on it? No. I'll continue being the (somewhat great but not really) friend that I am._

 _Until later, diary._

 _~BZ_

* * *

 _09/08/1994._

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Blaise and Daphne broke up yesterday. I pretended to be sad about it, but a part of me is happy. That's not even the best part of it all — Theo told me the other day that he was considering himself as bi. That obviously doesn't mean I have any chance with him, but the zero percent chance went up to a one percent chance, if you know what I mean._

 _As I've told you already, I've been trying to get over Theo ever since he started going out with Daphne. My feelings seem to have just grown stronger, instead, to be honest. His always being there when I need him, his perfectly structured face, and his laugh. His laugh is amazing. It sounded like bells._

 _(As I've said a thousand times, if you tell anyone I've been saying this sentimental shit, you'll be burned in a fire. Blaise Zabini doesn't_ do _sentimental)._

 _Where was I? Oh, right. I covered the face. I covered the personality. The laugh._

 _Oh, yeah. He is a Drarry shipper as well. Now I've covered the common interests._

 _To sum up this entry: Theo Nott is too perfect for this world._

 _Until later, diary._

 _~BZ_

* * *

 _12/25/1994._

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Tonight was the absolute best night of my life._

 _They say "ask and you'll receive." Well, I'm certainly doing that more often, because I asked Theo to the Yule Ball as a joke, thinking he'd say no._

 _But he said_ yes. _I was prepared to laugh it off, but then he said yes and obviously I went along with it because I was going to take Theo to the ball, and I've wanted to do something like that for almost two years now._

 _And I was determined to make sure that this night goes perfectly. I'd bought some flowers, a lovely suit … Draco was teasing me earlier for how sappy I was being._

 _I told him to fuck off and go be with Potter. Needless to say, he didn't talk to me all night. Whoops._

 _As I was saying, the night went perfectly. We went to the Great Hall, and ate a nice meal, talking about basically everything under the sun. Then we danced. Seeing as we were both forced to take mandatory Pureblood dancing lessons, we knew what we were doing. And it was definitely the best dancing I've done in a long time._

 _Then we took a moonlight walk, and I did something so Gryffindor, but so worth it. I knew that I might have lost Theo's friendship. Again, I didn't know what got into me to be so...Gryffindork._

 _I leaned in for a kiss and kissed my best friend full on the lips._

 _I expected him to pull away. Reject me. Peg me as bloody insane. But instead, he kissed me back, and confessed to me that he secretly liked me since third year but was too afraid to act upon his feelings because of how many flings I got into. Me! I can't believe I was giving him the wrong impression all this time. He was the one dating Daphne Greengrass, and he told me he only did that so it looked like he didn't like me._

 _He thought I was straight._

 _I thought_ he _was straight._

 _Apparently not. We're dating. I can safely say this was the happiest day of my life._

* * *

(The diary ended there. There were no more entries. Theo skimmed through the many blank pages, before his eyes rested upon one last one.)

* * *

 _08/09/1997._

 _Dear Diary,_

 _It's been a long time since I've written, but I'm scared. I'm scared as hell. I've taken the Dark Mark. I was told that if I didn't take it, they'd take my mother away from me. I can't have that. I can't have them take my mum away, no matter how neglectful she's been over the years. I just can't. Despite all her faults, she's always tried to be there._

 _And Theo._

 _God, Theo. I had to leave him to join. I threw nearly three years of relationship down the drain. I had to leave him to protect my mum, and it was the worst decision I made in my life — he probably hates me now._

 _I'm thinking about hiding my mum safely and then turning. I know I might get killed if I do. I might get killed either way._

 _I'd rather die than have my mum die, or have Theo wrongfully thinking that I would leave him on purpose._

 _I guess in a way, I'm a Gryffindork. I don't know._

 _All I know, is that I'm fucking scared._

* * *

(Theo closed the book. He hated himself. He hated himself more than anything for casting away the love of his life. Now there _was no_ Blaise, he was _dead,_ and he was forever left to wallow in his guilt. And it sunk into him like a _knife._ )

* * *

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Assignment # 10 - Women's History - Write your fic in the style of a diary entry.**

 **Insane House Challenge - 986. (food) ice cream**

 **365 Prompts Challenge - 300. (style) journal**

 **Scavenger Hunt - 5. write about your OTP.**

 **Writing Club:**

 **Shannon's Showcase: (title) forever, (theme) love.**

 **Showtime: 36. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables - (emotion) grief**

 **Count Your Buttons - (pairing) TheoBlaise**

 **Shay's Epic Board Game Challenge: 18. Cannes - write something in a style you normally don't use**

* * *

 **Please R &R :)**

 **-Ana**


	2. R2: Nothing Without You

**Nothing Without You **

**Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 2 for Puddlemere United.**

 **Beater 1 Task: Write a story set near the water**

 **Prompts: (color) forest green & (color) turquoise**

 **Thank you so very much to June, who beta-ed my crappy tense errors and crappy fic, motivated me, and helped me get above 1,000 words. You are truly a gem. :3**

 **Also shay i won the bet admit it because what even is this fic but you already wrote me a lovely fic (which is amazing) so … ;)**

 **Word Count without A/N's: 1,236**

* * *

" _What do you want?"_

The look on Oliver Wood's face told Percy Weasley all: that he'd screwed up and ruined everything.

 _(He knew he did. Percy had sacrificed many things to follow his ambitious career, and the love of his life had been one of them. Oh, how stupid he was.)_

Part of Percy knew that Oliver would never forgive him. _Percy_ had been the one to end the relationship. _He_ had been the one to leave Oliver brokenhearted. And in a way, he knew that he'd never get the relationship he had had with Oliver back. He knew he had had his chance, and he had ruined it.

He'd merely came to reflect on what they had before, and what they didn't have now, by a creek near Hogsmeade. _Their special spot._

He didn't expect to see Oliver there. And Oliver was _not_ happy to see Percy in the slightest.

Percy took a breath, noticing that Oliver was still giving him a death stare. "I — uh — just came here to think."

" _Think?"_ spat Oliver, his voice laced with hatred and disgust. "Why didn't you do that _before_ you ended things with me to pursue your fancy Ministry career, Weasley? I'm assuming that now that the war's over, you're crawling back to me?"

The use of 'Weasley' instead of 'Percy' hurt, but Percy knew he deserved it. He deserved everything that Oliver could ever throw at him.

"No," said Percy finally, clearing his throat. "In fact, I didn't even think you'd be here."

Oliver merely turned away, and Percy noticed the tears in his eyes as he did so. Percy stared at his reflection in the turquoise-colored creek. The two just sat there in silence for a moment, not even acknowledging each other's presence.

 _(Back in 1995, he had had two very important — and very regretful — rows. One had been with his father, and the other one had been with Oliver. And both ended up changing his life in negative ways.)_

Oliver turned to Percy, saying, "You know, I _was_ in a brief relationship with Katie Bell, but it didn't work out. You know _why_ it didn't work out?"

Percy remained silent, preferring to just let Oliver talk.

"Because of _you._ I couldn't stop thinking about _you."_ While a lot of people would be extremely happy to hear those words come out of a loved one's mouth, the way Oliver said those words were full of hatred. _Venom._ "And I felt bloody terrible. I felt like I was taking advantage of her. Whenever we kissed, nothing sparked. But I stayed with her; I thought ' _true love takes time'._ I was wrong. Instead, true love fucked me right over."

Percy took a breath. "I know," he said finally. "The things I did to you were unforgivable. You want me out of your life permanently, and I think you're right."

"I _loved_ you," said Oliver, his voice tight. "We had a good thing going on, Perce. And then, at the worst time of my life, you fucking just added on to the stress by saying you never wanted to see me again. And now, when I've _finally_ moved on, you're here again."

"If you've moved on," ventured Percy, knowing he had absolutely no right to speak at the moment, "why are you at _our spot?"_

Oliver turned his head slowly in order to give a cold and deadly glare that made Percy flinch.

"I just came here to think," he finally said. "That's _all."_

"Me too," nodded Percy quietly, and that was the end of the conversation, as both boys stared at the turquoise-colored creek, their backs to each other. His lips moved in order to whisper a tiny phrase.

" _It should have been me."_

 _(One thing that he knew for sure is that it should have been_ him _that died in the war, not Fred)._

Oliver twisted his head sharply, looking at Percy. "What did you say?" he asked, his voice having a cold edge to it.

"Nothing," said Percy, turning back to his side of the creek. He glared at his reflection.

"I don't want you to say or think shit like that," said Oliver finally. "Fred's death wasn't anyone's fault except the Death Eater that killed him, understand?"

Percy didn't say anything, but he looked up to see that Oliver was fixing him with a death stare.

" _What?"_

" _Understand?"_

Percy took a breath and nodded. He didn't understand, not at all, but he never really liked it when Oliver was upset at him. Well, it was a bit _too late_ for that, but he might as well start small.

 _(He had always wanted to be perfect. Perfect in his studies, perfect in his career, and perfect for Oliver. And when he failed, he just couldn't take it.)_

"Good," said Oliver evenly, before turning to his side of the creek once again.

* * *

 _(Should he give Percy another chance?)_

The question had been pestering him for the past ten minutes — when he had been forced to see the person that had ruined _everything_ for him.

And the worse thing was that he felt like a jerk for even being _mad_ at him for _lashing out_ — not when he was in this state. Not when he was _blaming himself for Fred's death._

The truth was that _he wanted Percy back,_ he's wanted him ever since seventh year. And while Percy was the one to finally snap and end it, he hadn't been that good of a boyfriend either.

He had made the old mistake, the mistake that he had made with literally every other relationship he'd had before Percy: _putting Quidditch first._

The truth was that Percy had not been the only one that had put his career first. So _why_ was he mad at Percy in the first place? For acknowledging that their relationship was fucked up all along?

"I could've done better, too," he said, loud enough for Percy to hear him. It pained him to admit it, but after seeing how Percy was at the current moment, he _had_ to. "Don't take the full blame. I know you tend to blame yourself for everything and I tend to — run away from it and blame the other person. It's not okay. I — I also put my career before us. You just — you opened my eyes to it and ended it. We _both_ screwed up here."

 _(There was a moment of silence between the two, and it was clear both men were_ thinking, reflecting, _on where they were going to go from this point.)_

"It's going to take time to go back to where we were before," said Percy finally, his voice cracking. " _Three years. Three years_ of us being idiots."

Oliver smirked. "I know. We were _colossal_ idiots. It can't hurt to start over slowly, right? It's gonna be different this time."

Percy looked at Oliver. "We may have both screwed up, put our careers first — but _I_ was the one who cut you off entirely. Are you sure you want to actually start over with —"

And Oliver strode over to where Percy was and immediately pulled him into a kiss. "Please shut up, or I just _might_ throw you into this creek."

 _(They both stood on the forest-green grass, thinking of their newfound-shaky relationship. After all, the grass is always greener on the other side, right?)_

* * *

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Assignment # 11 - Career Advice Task # 3 - write about Oliver Wood.**

 **Insane House Challenge - 654. (dialogue) "It's gonna be different this time."**

 **365 Prompts - 263. (sexuality) gay**

 **Days of the Year - National Kissing Day - write about someone being kissed.**

 **Shay's Musical Challenge - RENT - write about a slash couple.**

 **World Cup: Belgium 28th - (genre) Hurt/Comfort**

 **Build a Zoo Challenge - pond - (word) disgust**

 **Thirty Days of the Gays - (sexual orientation) gay**

 **Writing Club:**

 **Disney Challenge - Kristoff - write about the Weasleys (any of them)**

 **Showtime - 14. Hold Me In Your Heart - (plot point) Making up after a falling out**

 **Amber's Attic - Dysfunctional: write about someone lashing out**

 **Lyric Alley - 5. That we still could be**

 **Ami's Audio Admirations - 11. 5.0. It's really good. Fact. - Write about loving something/ someone**

 **Em's Emporium - 5. (character) Scorpius Malfoy - write a fandom pairing**

 **Lo's Lowdown - 8. (character) Gaila: (trait) redhead**

* * *

 **Please R &R :)**

 **-Ana**


	3. R3: lost and found (for em)

**lost and found**

 **Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 3 for Puddlemere United.**

 **Beater 1 Task: Write a fic inspired by the song 'Hey Now (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun)' by Cyndi Lauper**

 **Prompts: (dialogue) "Pay attention to me." & (object) jumper/sweater & (object) glitter. **

**Written with love,** _ **for**_ **a love. I love you so much, Em! You're the most supportive person I know and I'm so glad to have met you last year! &hearts. for gge as well :3**

 **Thank you to Ned for idea bouncing with me, and thank you to my lovely wife as well as June for the wonderful beta-love!**

 **Word Count without A/N's: 2,673**

* * *

 _(Confused.)_

"Mum, are you alright?"

Lily looked up from her steak at dinner, eyeing her mum in concern. Ginny's face was blank as she was lost in her thoughts. She blinked as she looked down at her daughter, and smiled softly.

"I'm fine, love," she assured.

At times, Ginny Potter — no, now Ginny _Weasley_ — didn't know _what_ to feel about her divorce. Sometimes she was relieved, because she knew the spark that had been present years ago in her relationship with Harry just… _disappeared._

But at times, she didn't even know _what_ to feel. Most of the time she felt _terrible;_ she felt like she was being selfish.

 _(After all, she always put her kids first. James, Albus, and Lily loved them_ both. _Making them choose ate up her conscience.)_

Sometimes, she felt like she was missing something in life. She was happy at the moment, but she didn't really like going out as much as she used to. A lot of her friends were, well, taken. She and Harry would often go out on double dates with Ron and Hermione, and now it didn't really make sense to do that.

She mostly stayed inside, focusing on her job as a reporter, and her ten-year-old daughter, Lily, one of her three everythings. The other two out of three, James and Albus, were currently at Hogwarts. And it was for the best that she just focused, until she could figure out things, of course.

 _(Sometimes, she despised her job. Because Merlin, the things that went through the papers about her divorce with Harry …)_

* * *

 _(Distraught.)_

Pansy Parkinson _hated_ the Muggle world.

 _(Everything. Was. Perfect.)_

At least, that's what Pansy Parkinson loved telling herself. It's what she _always_ told herself. After the Battle of Hogwarts, she managed to build herself up, beginning a long and supposedly 'everlasting' relationship with her best friend at Hogwarts, Millicent Bulstrode.

 _(She hated how she was as a schoolgirl, and wanted to put those times far,_ far, _behind her.)_

Then it all fell apart when Millicent cheated on her. With a _Muggle woman,_ of all people. But _no,_ Pansy was supposed to _not take this the wrong way_ because Millicent told her right away instead of sneaking around behind her back _and_ Pansy could keep the house.

 _(Yes. Living alone in the house was_ certainly _going to make her feel better.)_

But, honestly. What woman wanted to hear the words ' _I'm sorry, but this isn't going to work out.'_ After nearly _twenty_ years of loving each other? And how could her Millie lower herself to a _Muggle woman_ over her?

The whole idea made her sick to her stomach, but it happened, and it happened a week ago. Now she was alone again. Millie was the only one that really understood her. She practically grew up with Millie. After the war, everyone who wasn't in her friend circle treated her like someone who should be put at arm's length. She was a _Death Eater's daughter,_ after all.

And that's why she couldn't believe that after all these years, _thirty-eight_ years of being friends, Millicent Bulstrode would leave her to enter the _Muggle_ world, with a _Muggle_ woman. Oh, how she wanted to _hurt_ the woman who took away her Millie.

She took a break from her job in fashion. She just needed some time to _think._ She needed some time to _think_ about how she was going to continue and go on in her life.

* * *

 _(Reluctant.)_

"Since Lily's at her two-night sleepover with Roxy and Lucy, I think you should go out tonight."

Ginny's eyebrow reached her hairline as she looked up at Hermione. "And _where_ would I go out?"

Hermione took a breath. "Maybe we could go out to the Leaky Cauldron? Or the Three Broomsticks?"

Ginny curled her lip. "And deal with people questioning about Harry and I's divorce? No thanks, Mione. I don't _want_ any publicity at the moment."

"We could go to a random Muggle place," suggested Hermione. "I think you should go out, Gin. You've been cooped up in this place for weeks on end."

"I leave the house," huffed Ginny, narrowing her eyes at her friend's statement.

"To go to the store and take Lily places," said Hermione pointedly, "You haven't done anything for _yourself."_

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Says the current Minister of Magic with two kids. When was the last time _you_ did anything for yourself?"

Hermione paused, as if trying to remember the last time she took time for herself. "Well, it has to be sometime in the last month at least —"

Ginny let a small smirk come to her face. "Don't criticize _me_ when _you_ don't even follow your own advice."

Hermione sighed, and Ginny frowned, noticing the dark circles under her friend's eyes. "Alright, fine. You've got me. _But_ since we'll both go together, we'll both be doing ourselves a great service. Who knows — maybe you could meet someone… a guy… a girl…"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. She'd confessed to her friends before Harry and her got married that she was bi, but she didn't think it meant anything at the time. After all, she had had _Harry._ She looked up from the article she was working on.

"You're not going to leave me alone until I agree to this, are you?"

The look on Hermione's face gave her her answer.

"Fine," sighed Ginny. "I _really_ don't think this'll benefit me, but if it'll make you happy, I'll do it."

* * *

 _(Furious.)_

One of the reasons that Pansy was of the opinion that Millicent was the only one to understand her was because she knew that Millie wouldn't have put her in _this_ situation.

"I absolutely _cannot_ believe you three made me go through with this," snarled Pansy. " _Why_ did I go through with this?"

"Because it's not healthy for you to be inside and moping all the time, Pans," explained Daphne patiently.

Pansy sighed in exasperation, pinching her nose and looking at the people surrounding her in disdain. "Remind me _again_ why we chose a _Muggle bar."_

"Because you said that you were afraid of people judging you in a Wizarding one," reminded Daphne gently.

"Thanks, love. Can you also remind me why we brought _them?"_ she sneered. She motioned toward Theo and Blaise, who were snogging. _Again. For like… the gazillionth time tonight._

"Because they're our friends," said Daphne. She frowned for a moment, watching them snog. "Actually, _fair point…"_

Pansy sighed in exasperation as she took a small sip of her goblet of vodka. Music blared as people's voices grated her ears.

"This is your idea of fun?" she snapped. "What do people even _do_ at these things?"

"Mingling," supplied Theo, with a smirk on his face. "Just talking, chilling —"

"Dancing," said Blaise, winking. Pansy eyed the people stumbling around the pub in disgust.

"I don't understand how _anyone_ can talk over this music," she said, and she nearly had to yell in order to be heard.

"Dear _Merlin._ What are _they_ doing here?" said Daphne, her eyes narrowed.

"Who?" asked Pansy curiously, looking up. Her eyes widened at the sight.

 _Ginny Potter (now divorced — Ginny_ Weasley), _and Hermione Weasley._

"We literally chose a _Muggle pub_ of all places to avoid people we know," gasped Pansy, in disbelief that those two would ever show up here.

"To be fair, we don't really _know_ them," supplied Blaise.

"Nobody asked _your_ opinion," bit out Pansy, taking a breath.

"Blaise has a point, though," said Daphne. "They probably don't even care that we're here. Let's just _pretend they don't exist."_

"I have a better idea. Let's just _leave."_

 _(There's really no way this evening could get any_ worse, _correct?)_

* * *

 _(Sympathetic.)_

"This really isn't that bad," said Ginny, straightening her gold colored dress. Her voice was loud, and there was a slight slur in it.

Ginny looked around the pub that Hermione took her to, sipping her vodka. Hermione, ever the responsible one, literally just ordered water.

Hermione took a breath. "I mean, yeah, this is much better than sitting at a desk all day…" She drifted off, and Ginny grabbed her sleeve.

"Pay attention to me! We should dance," suggested Ginny.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Wow, look how much alcohol can change a person in an hour. Also, have you _seen_ me dance?"

"You're married to Ron," pointed out Ginny. "Doing that basically _guaranteed_ you a terrible dance partner for life." She tugged on Hermione's arm once more. "We should go dance! After all, we girls just want to have fun!"

"We're nearly forty."

"So?"

Hermione frowned for a moment, and Ginny looked in the direction her friend was looking in. "Is that… Millicent Bulstrode?" she asked slowly, her eyes widening.

"Who?" asked Ginny, knitting her eyebrows.

"She's was my year," said Hermione, "She was a pretty quiet Slytherin… but I thought she was married to Parkinson — she's with a completely different woman."

"Maybe they broke up?" suggested Ginny.

"Maybe," frowned Hermione. "You know what, forget it, love. Let's dance."

As the two went to dance, they heard an unfamiliar voice. An unfamiliar, _pissed off,_ voice; a voice that was close to tears.

"What are _you_ doing here? No, really! What the _fuck_ are _you_ doing here? I came here to forget about you, and you pick this place of all places to show up with your _stupid lover."_

"Pans, I didn't know you were going to be here —"

"Didn't _know?"_ the other voice bit out, her voice slightly slurred. "No, of course you didn't know. You also didn't know how much I actually thought I loved you before you ran off with your muggle. And you know how I told you I was _okay_ with this? Newsflash. I was never _okay_ with this. You broke my heart. Sometimes, I miss you so much that I can hardly stand it. 'Fuck you' is honestly too kind for me. Just… go away. I never, _ever,_ want to see you again."

And with that, the two girls both watched Pansy Parkinson run to the bathroom in tears.

"Wow," said Hermione after a moment. "I've never seen her act… _human."_

Ginny frowned. "That's awful, what happened to her. She looks great tonight, I kind of want to see if she's okay —"

 _(She_ did _look great tonight. She_ radiated _glamor, and Ginny didn't know if it was acceptable to pine after Pansy Parkinson of all people.)_

"Gin, you can't," said Hermione gently, "She doesn't particularly… like us?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow, nearly stumbling off her chair. "When was the last time you talked to her?"

Hermione hesitated. "I… probably years ago?"

" _Exactly."_

* * *

 _(Distressed.)_

Of _all_ the places they could've taken her. Especially of all the _Muggle places_ they could've taken her.

 _She_ had to show up. With her _lover._ Clearly, Pansy can't even enjoy a night to herself without being haunted by that… cheater.

She tensed when she heard someone stumble in. Pansy had _one rule._ If she broke it, she would _never_ forgive herself. _Never_ show true feelings, _especially_ to people you don't know.

Then she bristled when she saw _who_ it was. _Ginny Weasley_ of all people. But she should be lucky, she supposed it wasn't as bad as _the other one_ showing up. She hardly knew Ginny Weasley; she was a year below her back in their school days. And she's never admitted it (that would be social suicide, of course, and _impossible_ ), but she really did always find the younger woman attractive. The girl who always wore jumpers.

Pansy assumed that Ginny merely had to use the bathroom, so she took a shaky breath and stared at the mirror, trying to pay no mind to the redheaded woman.

"Are you okay?" Pansy jumped when she heard the gentle voice, but again didn't pay any attention.

 _(_ Ginny Weasley _couldn't possibly be talking to her, correct? No. It was probably someone else that she was talking to.)_

She slowly turned around to face the other woman. "I'm fine," she said, her voice stiff.

Weasley took a breath, and Pansy noticed she smelled of alcohol. Then again, _she herself_ probably also smelled of alcohol.

"I heard you outside," said Weasley sincerely. "Yelling at Bulstrode. I'm sorry she did this to you. People like that really suck."

Pansy looked at Weasley, before sighing. "Yes," she finally said. "They really do. Is that what happened between you and Potter?"

Weasley stiffened. "Harry and I ended things based on a… mutual disagreement."

"There was no spark, sure. But he ended it first, didn't he?" asked Pansy bluntly. "I can see it in your eyes, Weasley."

"He did. The articles won't even leave me alone to think. It's kind of ironic, really, considering my job," she laughed bitterly. "How long were you and Bulstrode together?"

" _Twenty years,"_ said Pansy through clenched teeth, having no idea why on earth she was talking to Ginny Weasley. Perhaps she wasn't. Perhaps the alcohol _was. "Thrown down the drain."_

"Looks like we've both suffered, huh?" said Weasley, shaking her head.

" _Tell me_ about it," sighed Pansy.

She wondered if this would be the last time she'd be in a room with Ginny Weasley, just… talking. Though, then again, she's never exactly _talked_ to Ginny Weasley. She's just admired her from afar. And she knew the other woman never felt the same way, she was in love with _Potter_ after all. And she had had her lovely Millie at the time, so she never thought much of it.

 _(_ God _. She always hated Potter.)_

"Do you need a hug?" asked Weasley suddenly, and Pansy froze.

"What?" she asked.

"A hug," repeated Weasley.

Nobody ever offers that. Except Millie, when they were together. No — because everyone was too nervous to be around her to even _think_ about giving her a hug.

Weasley didn't even wait for Pansy to respond. She slowly approached the black-haired woman, and enveloped her into an embrace.

Underneath the smell of alcohol, Pansy noticed the smell of perfume. It smelled _good._ "You smell good, Weasley," she blurted out.

Weasley smirked at that. "Nobody ever compliments my perfume. Thanks, Parkinson." She took a breath and stepped back. "I'd hate to see your night ruined just because of your shitty ex. We should dance together. Enjoy the night."

Pansy took a breath. "Weasley. My _friends_ are out there. Your _friend_ is out there. Do you know what would happen if we are seen together?"

"Take it from me," said Weasley. "I've learned long ago not to care what the hell anyone else thinks. If they'd _really_ ditch you for who you choose to hang out with… Well, are they really your friends?"

"Are you sure you're not just incredibly drunk?"

"Do I _sound_ drunk?" retorted Weasley, raising an eyebrow.

Pansy looked at the younger woman, who was currently giving her pleading eyes, and thought about the social rules she'd always followed ever since she was a little girl.

"Alright, Weasley. But if I wake up the next morning and find out I have no friends — that's on you."

* * *

 _(Elated.)_

And so the two women spent the night drinking and dancing together, much to the confusion — but not _rejection_ — of the people they came with.

"I had a lowkey crush on you at Hogwarts. You were always so pretty in your jumpers," whispered Pansy to Weasley, after her eighth bottle of vodka. She expected Ginny Weasley to push her aside, which would be good. Things could go back to _normal_ after that. This night could just go into a gigantic trash can.

But what she _didn't_ expect was for the completely drunk Weasley to grab her by the shirt, and kiss her. "We girls just want to have fun, right?" she winked, as they continued dancing and giggling to the music.

 _(And what she_ definitely _didn't expect is that that drunk kiss would evolve into a slow-burn and budding relationship that blossomed like glitter.)_

* * *

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Assignment # 12 - Gardening: Muggle Chic Task # 10: Flowers - write about a character with a floral name.**

 **Insane House Challenge - 401. (word) - Glamour - (Beauty)**

 **365 Prompts - 111. (emotion) upset**

 **Build a Zoo Challenge - toy - 18. (color) gold**

 **Thirty Days of the Gays Challenge - (sexual orientation) bi (Ginny) & lesbian (Pansy)**

 **Seasonal:**

 **Days of the Year - Best Friend's Day - write a fic for one of your best fanfiction friends**

 **Summer Prompts - (dialogue) "Sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it."**

 **Color Prompts - (color) gold**

 **Flower Prompts - Aster (word) attractive**

 **Shay's Musical Challenge - 15. The Great Comet of 1812 - write about someone not sure where their life is going**

 **Gryffindor Themed Prompts - (character) Ginny Weasley**

 **Writing Club:**

 **Character Appreciation - 11. (character) Pansy Parkinson**

 **Disney Challenge - Let it Go - write about someone letting go of a negative emotion**

 **Showtime - 5. Step One (word) impossible**

 **Amber's Attic - 3. Caribou Lou - write about someone getting drunk.**

 **Lyric Alley - 11. with hearts open wide**

 **Ami's Audio Admirations - Hello and Welcome - write about an open-minded person.**

 **Em's Emporium - 3. Ginny Weasley/Pansy Parkinson - write about powerful women.**

* * *

 **Please R &R :)**

 **-Ana**


	4. R4: Second Chances

**Second Chances**

 **Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 4 for Puddlemere United.**

 **Beater 1 Task: Write a fic about a pet changing the owner's life - for** **better** **or for worse**

 **Prompts: (word) preposterous, (sound) bark or mew, (word) pillow**

 **Thank you to my lovely wife as well as Lin and June for the wonderful beta love! :3**

 **Word Count without A'N's: 1,940**

* * *

"Oi! Zabini!" a voice called, startling Blaise. He looked up at his colleague, a man named Roberts, questioningly.

"What is it?" Blaise snapped.

"The boss wants to speak with you," Roberts grunted, leaning against the wall.

"About what?" asked Blaise, cleaning up something he spilled by accident.

Roberts shrugged. "I'm not sure, but it didn't sound good."

Blaise paled.

 _Did he find out about yesterday, when he hexed that one customer because he asked 'which ingredients did his mother use to poison her husbands?'_

At least he had his beloved cat, Ivory, with him — oh, _wait._ She had disappeared the day before yesterday, and of course Blaise had freaked out.

He'd spent all of yesterday nearly pulling his hair out and putting 'Lost Cat' signs around the neighborhood that he lived in — both the magical and Muggle parts.

So, his life had pretty much gone down to shit. Blaise didn't really need _even more_ shit to deal with, though a feeling inside of him told him that that was exactly what was going to happen.

He finally nodded. "Well, thanks for telling me. Tell him I'll be over soon."

As Roberts left, Blaise sighed deeply, praying that it wasn't anything terrible. He walked through the narrow hallways of the apothecary and up the steps until he reached his boss' office, and knocked on the door.

The runner of the apothecary was a balding man from the Flint family who was nearly about to retire. Blaise had worked there for about fifteen years now and had become a favored employee, so he was a bit lost on why his boss wanted to talk to him about something that 'didn't sound good'.

The door opened, revealing Mr. Flint. "Blaise," he greeted, his voice slightly faltering. "Come in."

"Hi, Mr. Flint, good afternoon. Is something wrong?"

"We heard about an… incident from yesterday."

"Incident?" repeated Blaise, trying to keep his voice innocent. _He knew it was going to be about that one customer._

Flint nodded, before continuing, "You do realize that we have one very important rule above all else, right?"

He took a breath, still remembering how… _annoying_ the one customer had been. "Mr. Flint, with all due respect, the guy jabbed at my mum, and I've been working here and serving you well for about fifteen years now —"

"It's not just that," Flint sighed, his voice clipped. "Personally, I don't want to let you go. I like you. That's only part of it. The truth is, we're getting poorer. We don't have the money to house all our employees the way we used to, so we have to let some of them go. A good seventy-five percent."

Blaise balked. "So, I'm one of the people you chose, literally because I lost my temper one time in _fifteen years_? I'm literally going through a bloody divorce. What about Roberts? He's incompetent as hell."

"Oh believe me, Roberts isn't staying. The thing is," said Flint, leaning back in his chair, "you're not as far up in the employment chain. But you're valuable, I'll give you that. Other apothecaries — ones who have plenty of galleons — will welcome you in."

"You're sugarcoating. Again," said Blaise, his voice cold. "So what I'm getting at here is that you're firing me?"

Flint looked like he was sorry, but the expression on his face was that of someone trying to be a callous businessman: he was _not_ sorry.

* * *

As soon as he got home, Blaise slumped on the couch, sighing. He looked around the living room. _Empty._ Everything was empty. Always empty. He sighed, staring hard at a remaining 'Lost Cat' poster that was still on the table. There was no luck with the search for Ivory, either.

As he was about to open a bottle of vodka and reflect on _what the hell was he going to do next,_ an unfamiliar owl flew through his window, dropping an envelope in his lap. The owl then looked at Blaise expectantly.

He sighed. "I'm so sorry, but I don't have any treats on me at the moment." The owl gives an indignant hoot, before it flew away. Blaise eyed the envelope, before opening it. There was no name on the note or the envelope.

It merely read,

' _Blaise -_

 _I'm pleased to say I've found your cat, or at least a similar cat. I'll take care of her for the night, and you can come to 2334 Ridgehurst Avenue tomorrow to retrieve her in the morning if I have the right cat. Also, just to let you know, if the owl did not already clear that up: I'm not a Muggle.'_

Blaise took a breath of relief — hopefully the person found his Ivory. But then the breath of relief was replaced by an angry glower.

First of all, _why was this person making him wait until tomorrow?_ It was only four PM. He wanted his cat _immediately._

And usually when Blaise wanted something, he _received it._ His life was already screwed up. He at least wanted his pet.

* * *

An hour later, he was at the front door of the address the letter said. Blaise gaped at the house. It was _huge,_ almost mansion-like _._ The yard was perfect and he could see a hint of a swimming pool behind it.

The question was: which pretentious shit, who wanted him to wait another eight hours to pick up a _lost pet,_ lived here?

He knocked on the door, waiting for a response. But a few minutes passed, and no one appeared at the door — maybe nobody was here? But _who had his cat then?_ He decided he'd try knocking again, louder, and if nobody showed up, he'd leave and try again tomorrow.

The door began to open, and Blaise stepped back as it did so. It revealed a man that looked… fake? As if he was wearing a disguise. He didn't look familiar at all.

"I… uh, thought my letter said tomorrow and not today?" the man said, looking stiff.

"Look, I just want the cat and I'll be off. I don't plan to stay for dinner or anything," said Blaise shortly.

"Actually," said the man, taking a breath. "I wanted to wait until tomorrow for this...but you can come in today. I need to talk about something."

Blaise tried to tell him that he just wanted his cat — that was literally _all he wanted,_ but the man had already entered the house, and Blaise had no choice but to follow him in. He gaped at the lavish couch and the velvet pillows surrounding it, and the large entrance hall. He heard a familiar mewing sound, and he gasped in delight when he saw Ivory, gathering the black cat into his arms.

"Thank you so —"

But Blaise realized he was _right —_ the man had been disguised. And under the disguise was someone he hadn't seen for years, someone that he thought he'd never see again.

(Someone that had abandoned him in the middle of the war. Someone he was _never good enough for._ Someone whom he had loved, always loved, and will still love — someone who he never had a chance with.)

"Theo. It's been a long time," said Blaise, his voice colder than it'd been in a long time. He clutched Ivory close, as if to protect her. She purred happily, but he himself was nowhere near happy.

"Blaise," was the uncomfortable reply. "It… I — it's good to see you again."

"I can't really say that I feel the same," said Blaise with disdain. "Not after what you did to me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to leave. Thanks for returning my cat to me, at least."

As he got up to leave, Theo cleared his throat. Blaise turned to him, annoyed. "What?"

"I just wanted to say that I know that nothing I say could _ever_ make up for what I did to you during the war."

Blaise shook his head bitterly. "You always did what was right. They were threatening my mum. I _told_ you my situation, but you followed your own instincts, even if they hurt me. Even if they hurt us." He eyed Theo, who looked extremely pale. "Then again, I can't blame you a hundred percent — I _did_ fight on the side of the Death Eaters — but what was _really_ painful was that even after the war, you just… disappeared. Never to be seen by me, or Draco, or any of our other friends. I didn't even know where the hell you were, I _waited_ for you until I realized one day: why bother?"

Theo sighed, his hands shaking. "After the war," he said, his voice quiet, "I was so ashamed of what I did to you, so I thought it would be best to just stay away permanently."

"Why would you even _think_ that would be a good idea? It didn't help me, and it definitely didn't help you. And why wait until now to invite me here?"

Blaise didn't know what to do after he said that, because Theo burst into tears then and there. "I found your cat… and I thought it would — there's no way to forgive me, I know."

"I should probably get going," said Blaise thickly. Part of him wanted to run to Theo and kiss him, but the other more rational part of him said no.

"I'm not saying you should… but owl me, maybe?" his voice was hesitant.

Blaise took a breath, and left the house.

* * *

"I'm honestly fucking pissed off. He decided to _hide away_ for fifteen years?" asked Draco, taking a sip of vodka. He looked livid.

The next few days, Blaise continued with his job search, and found some interesting options. However, he couldn't stop thinking about Theo and what had happened at his house.

Blaise took a breath. "He thought it was _benefiting us._ But I don't know…"

"Well, it's not," said Draco, his voice cutting. "I say forget him."

"He's living there in isolation. It's a _Muggle neighborhood_ too." He emphasized the words, knowing they'd have an effect on Draco. "Clearly he wasn't having fun without us these past years."

"You've just went through a terrible divorce, mate. You really want to try and bring Nott in your life again? The thought is _preposterous._ "

"I'm not saying things can go back to the way it was before," said Blaise, thinking. "But maybe a fresh start as friends would be nice. And I know you miss him, as well," he said knowingly, causing the blond to scowl.

 _(Blaise remembered the days of their prime. Fourth year during the Yule Ball_ — _their first kiss. Fifth year, all the dates they took and the kisses they've stolen.)_

"Then owl him," said Draco, raising an eyebrow. "Ask him to dinner or something."

At first he thought about how quick that would be, how as Draco put it - _preposterous_ \- that would be, but he was running on four shots of vodka. He cracked a grin. "Why not?"

' _Dear Theo,_

 _I've decided to owl you. I do miss you, and I don't want you to stay there alone. You've done some shitty things. Then again, we've all done shit. I just want to start over. How about dinner on Friday, at seven?_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blaise.'_

(The reply arrived the next day. It had a simple reply, but it made Blaise feel giddy all the same. ' _Yes'._ Blaise gave a chuckle, leaning over to pet Ivory as she mewed once more. Who would've thought? _A matchmaking cat._ )

* * *

 **Eastern Funfair: Ferris Wheel (action) sighing**

 **Seasonal:**

 **Days of the Year: June 9, 2018 - World Gin Day - write about someone getting drunk**

 **Shay's Musical Challenge - 33. Hello, Dolly! - write about a matchmaker**

 **Writing Club:**

 **Showtime - 19. History Has Its Eyes On You - (emotion) shame**

 **Amber's Attic - Slash - 3. BlaiseTheo**

 **Count Your Buttons - (character) 1. Theo Nott**

 **Ami's Audio Admirations - 15. Why am I listening to this show? - write about a character questioning something**

* * *

 **Please R &R :)**

 **-Ana**


	5. R5: regrets

**regrets**

 **Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 5 for Puddlemere United.**

 **Beater 1 Task: use the title of a story written by your Beater 2 for inspiration. Title used: love is all around (that does not make it good)**

 **Prompts: (word) eternity & (dialogue) "I should've told you sooner." **

**Written for HPHG - prompts used - (word) unexpected, (emotion) jealousy, (dialogue) "I'm not so sure about this." / "Just trust me," (word count) 1450, (weapon) axe**

 **Thanks so much to my beloved wife for betaing and helping me with the hphg wc prompt, and thanks so much to June for betaing. You're absolute loves.**

 **Word Count without A/N's: 1,450**

* * *

 _("I should've told you sooner."_

Those words would forever be in Blaise's mind. They were on his mind during their time at Hogwarts, they were on his mind during Theo's wedding, and they only came out during Theo's _funeral._

Love could blossom into a flower, or it could spiral something that hit you on the inside, like an _axe._

And the latter is what applied to Blaise.)

* * *

In first year, Blaise entered Hogwarts with his best friend by his side. Sure, he had other friends, but he felt that Theo was the only one that truly understood him.

At that time, he didn't truly know his feelings. They were eleven after all, and Blaise had never even _thought_ about the concept of being gay.

At that time, things were easy. He was carefree to the world. If a genie came, telling Blaise that he could be granted three wishes, his ultimate wish would be to just go back to that happy, simple time.

* * *

In third year, things started to spiral down for Blaise. Third year was when Blaise began noticing things. Third year was when he started questioning himself. While he himself had a rocky summer, he could safely say that Theo's summer went well. More than well, if he were to be honest with himself. He changed so much, both physically and mentally.

He couldn't be _attracted_ to another _guy,_ could he? That was just… _wrong._

As the year progressed, it was clear that 'wrong' didn't matter; he grew more sure of his sexuality—and he came to terms that he had a crush on the person in the world he felt knew him the most.

Blaise also had to keep in mind one thing, one thing that he _knew_ : Theo didn't have any of the same feelings he did. He knew that for a fact, because Theo always pointed out to him whenever he saw a cute girl—and Blaise pretended to act interested, but in reality he wasn't.

In the end of the year, he decided that over the summer, he'd forget all about this so-called crush.

(All he needed was to forget about this. It was just a crush. And didn't everyone crush on their best friend at some point?)

* * *

In fifth year, all he felt was _jealousy._ He'd spent fourth year just enjoying himself in his friends' company, and ignoring his so-called 'crush' on his best friend. It was _fake,_ he told himself, even during the night of the Yule Ball, when he tried pushing the image of how hot Theo looked in his suit.

He had a girlfriend now, Daphne Greengrass. And Daphne was everything he could want from a girlfriend. She was pretty, she was charming, she made Blaise laugh, and Blaise _liked_ spending time with her. Just… not like _that_.

Theo _also_ got a girlfriend that year. Tracey Davis. Who was pretty, and who made Theo smile, and who made Blaise feel this _anger_ that he's never felt before.

He wasn't really angry at Tracey, though—Tracey had been Blaise's colleague for their Hogwarts duration. Blaise felt more angry whenever Theo would hang out with Tracey instead of him. Or when Theo would come back to the dorms, a stupid smile on his face, utterly _in love_ with Tracey… Blaise thought about how _unexpected_ that was. Just last year, Theo had told him that he didn't even _want_ to be in a relationship.

And then, near the end of the his fifth year, Blaise realized that he was jealous. He realized that he liked Theo. He realized that this was not just a crush. Whatever this was, this was _love._

Which had meant he was definitely gay. Or at least bisexual.

Either way, he ended fifth year by breaking up with Daphne.

* * *

In seventh year, Hogwarts was a different place. Their lives had taken turns, turns for the _worse_ —but they knew that as well.

Blaise had to look at the different turn that he took in his life every day. His life had _fallen apart completely._ It was right there, dark and blaring, on his arm, which he covered in his long sleeves.

(The Dark Mark, which he was forced to take to protect his mother from being killed.)

Theo and Blaise contrasted in many different ways. Theo managed to stand up to his father, stand up _against_ the Mark. ' _He has nothing to worry about in terms of protecting family,_ ' Blaise thought bitterly. Theo's mother was dead. His father was easy to hate. While Blaise's relationship with Daphne had barely lasted a year, Theo and Tracey's relationship was still going strong, and the jealousy in Blaise only multiplied tenfold.

(And the thing was, because of Blaise's… _situation,_ he and Theo's _friendship_ was impacted, so he barely even had that anymore.)

A lot of people in the world have a desire to fall in love. Blaise had one piece of advice for those people: _be careful what you wish for, because that could end terrible, one-sided, and unrequited._ Draco had some idea of what he was going through, at least the Death Eater aspect of things. Having a family that you have no idea how to protect. But not the love aspect of it all. _Nobody_ would know that, he decided. _Nobody._

The school was barely a school. The Carrows practically ran the school, having people _Crucio_ ed for so much as saying something a little off.

(It made him sick.)

 _('Screw love,' his brain told him harshly. 'You've a war to get through.')_

* * *

When it all ended, Theo ended up being the one who spoke for him at his Ministry trial, and Blaise couldn't have been more grateful. They'd rekindled their friendship, and they carried out their childhood dream, which was to work in a famous potions company. It involved countless hours of training, but they had each other, and that was all that mattered.

The pair had completed eighth year and gotten a flat together, and Blaise had gradually learned to bottle up his feelings. After all; his friend was in a loving and committed relationship. Who was Blaise to snatch that away from him?

He'd once considered telling Theo, and playing it off as a joke. He thought about that many times, but decided wholly against it. ' _Don't ruin it,'_ he'd tell himself sternly, remembering that horrible time in seventh year; the time when he and Theo barely even had a friendship.

He'd tried to see other people, to get a feel of what'd it be like in a relationship instead of loving a person who was already in love with someone else, but all of those relationships never ended well, because he couldn't see himself really, truly, falling in love with them.

(But he'd accepted his fate by now.)

* * *

Years later, Theo and Tracy's wedding was a small event attended by an exclusive few, and Blaise was to be the best man. As he stood by Theo at the altar, he knew this was _it—_ any previous feelings he had about his best friend had to leave for good.

The wedding march played, and Tracy and her father were walking down the aisle together, her face beaming, _the march getting louder and louder—_

(And then the lights, screams, and thuds happened.)

Blaise didn't really know how it played out. All he remembered was those terrible lights, followed by Tracey's screams, and Blaise had turned around in concern, before he realized that nothing was wrong with her.

(However, his entire world had stopped when he realized who _was_ dead on the floor. His best friend, the light of his life, the boy who he _loved,_ was now gone for an _eternity.)_

* * *

(More than ever, Blaise wishes he'd just _told Theo,_ even if he'd most likely get rejected. At least Theo would then know how he feels, and now he'd never even get the chance.

Back before they even went to Hogwarts, Blaise was always the more confident one out of the pair, always eager to jump into new things, while Theo was more cautious in things he did.

' _I'm not so sure about this,'_ he'd always say, and Blaise would reply back, ' _Just trust me.'_

But the roles had switched sometime in their years of Hogwarts, where Theo had grown into a brave, confident person—who was able to stand up to his father and get into a really great relationship. In contrast Blaise couldn't even tell his late best friend that he liked him, with the exception of his _funeral,_ where the words 'I love you' had finally escaped his lips.

' _And now,'_ he thought, as a tear rolled on his face, ' _I'll have to deal with that for the rest of my life.'_ )

* * *

 **A/N: I'm ultimately sobbing, because this is my last QL entry in some time as I take a step back to focus on school and a bunch of other rl factors. It's been real, Puddlemere, three seasons (well, two and a half), and two years. I love you all, so, so much, no matter how long; when you've been a Puddle. Thank you, Ash, for inviting me to this, because it's been amazing.**

 **Please R &R :)**

 **-Ana**


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